PLAYER RATINGS | PSG 0-1 [0-2] Borussia Dortmund: A tactical masterclass from Edin Terzić
Borussia Dortmund secured their place in the Champions League final for the first time in 11 years after a 2-0 aggregate win against Paris Saint-Germain. A heroic performance in the reverse fixture, it was Mats Hummels’ header on the night that secured a famous win for Die Schwarzgelben at the Parc des Princes.
A show of defensive resilience by Borussia Dortmund
Roared on by the Parc des Princes crowd, PSG showed their hunger in the opening stages of the game. Not giving Borussia Dortmund a second on the ball, Ian Maatsen and Karim Adeyemi struggled against Achraf Hakimi – a player they got the better of in the reverse fixture – in the first 20 minutes. But Dortmund remained resilient and weathered PSG’s early storm. Chances were few and far between. Ousmane Dembélé tortured Maatsen but lacked a final product, and it was Kylian Mbappé that had PSG’s first real chance, only for the Frenchman to swing and miss after Hummels managed to get a knick on the ball.
Borussia Dortmund grew into the game and just 20 seconds after Mbappé’s chance, Adeyemi forced Gianluigi Donnarumma into making his first save of the night. The German forward latched onto Julian Brandt’s pass in Dortmund’s half and carried the ball before forcing the Italian into a superb save.
It was a perfect half from Borussia Dortmund but all of their hard work was almost undone when Warren Zaïre-Emery struck the post early after the break. But five minutes into the second half, Dortmund doubled their aggregate lead. A misplaced pass from Marquinhos resulted in a Dortmund corner. Julian Brandt’s pinpoint set-piece found the head of Mats Hummels, who made no mistake in heading the ball past Donnarumma.
Will Hummels ever score a more important goal in his career? He was 24 when Borussia Dortmund reached the Champions League in 2013, and now he’s scored the goal to give BVB a 2-0 aggregate lead over PSG. https://t.co/skaBYmOMZ8
— Get German Football News (@GGFN_) May 7, 2024
PSG then went and hit the woodwork for the fourth time across 180 minutes as Edin Terzić brought on Marco Reus and Niklas Süle in place of Karim Adeyemi and Jadon Sancho – a questionable decision to take pace out of Dortmund’s attack. Switching to a back five, something that didn’t work in the group stage game, Dortmund sat in a low defensive block for the final 20 minutes as they took the sting out of the game.
The Parisiens hit the woodwork a further two times and continued to probe in the final 10 minutes with the introduction of Bradley Barcola but Dortmund remained defensively compact and difficult to break down. Over 180 minutes of football, it truly was a masterclass performance from the team that sit fifth in the Bundesliga.
Borussia Dortmund Player Ratings
Gregor Kobel (6) – Julian Ryerson (7), Mats Hummels (9), Nico Schlotterbeck (8), Ian Maatsen (6) – Emre Can (5), Marcel Sabitzer (6) – Jadon Sancho (5), Julian Brandt (6), Karim Adeyemi (5) – Niclas Füllkrug (6).
Others: Marco Reus (5), Niklas Süle (6), Felix Nmecha (-)
